A dispute over rental rates means a popular downtown Kitchener bar and restaurant will be shutting its doors by the end of June. Imbibe, which is located at the front of TheMuseum on King Street, will close down due to TheMuseum’s desire to increase its rent. “The increase in rent was not insignificant and simply could not be absorbed into our business model,” Imbibe owner Bill MacTavish said in a Facebook post. David Marskell, TheMuseum’s CEO, says the space was initially offered to Imbibe below market value, and the museum wanted to see the rent brought up to what similar downtown spaces could fetch. “We’re a charity, and we have to keep an eye on our bottom line,” he said Wednesday. “For us to offer reduced lease rental space to a for-profit just wouldn’t be the right thing to do.” Marskell does credit Imbibe for bringing a younger crowd to the area – an “awesome” achievement, he says – but says few of those people ever found their way inside the museum. In his Facebook post, MacTavish said he was “amazed” by the support he’d received since the closure became public knowledge, and understands TheMuseum’s desire to raise the rent. “I sincerely hope they find a partner that can make that a reality,” he said. Marskell says he’s already heard expressions of interest in Imbibe’s space from multiple parties. Whatever is done with the space – which previously belonged to a café and was originally planned for a gift shop – Marskell says some sort of food and drink will continue to be offered on TheMuseum’s property.
